Chandler school board OKs $84 million bond election

by Kerry Fehr-Snyder - May. 28, 2010 12:37 PMThe Arizona Republic

Voters in the Chandler Unified School District will decide in November whether to approve the sale of $84 million in bonds to repair roofs, patch potholed parking lots and build two elementary schools.

The district's governing board on Wednesday reluctantly agreed to ask for voter approval after months of study and discussion.

But given the state's economic woes and the lack of funding for the School Facilities Board, Auxier said she had little choice but to vote for the capital-improvement bond sale.

"We can't let a high school disintegrate because we can't afford to fix the roof," she said.

Board member Bob Rice agreed, saying the sale would fund repairs and other building projects that the state is no longer funding.

He added that he believes the issue will win voter approval given past bond elections and the recent passage of Proposition 100, a penny-on-the-dollar state sales-tax hike that goes into effect June 1.

"It boils down to whether we want to have the same level of schools," Rice said.

If approved, the bond sale would raise the tax paid on a $200,000 home by $8 a year. Homeowners currently pay $226 a year on a $200,000 home to the school district.

The proposed bond issuance calls for $33 million in renovation and repairs to the district's 41 schools. It would set aside $32 million to build two elementary schools, including buying the land for one of them. The district already owns land for the first elementary school.

The remainder would pay for buses, renovations to district facilities and new technology, furniture and equipment.

Unlike other school districts, Chandler's public schools are still growing.

The district expects to stop growing in 2018 with the city's buildout.

A citizen's growth committee recommended the board consider a $75 million to $105 million bond sale. But administrators and board members rejected the higher amount, fearing taxpayers might balk.

"We all kind of don't want to do this but see the necessity," board member Barb Mozdzen said. "I support it because we must maintain our facilities. There are no frills here. This is truly the needs we have here."